Chapter 5
Alex tossed and turned in his tent that night. The snarky witch had told him he couldn’t leave the campgrounds, or more specifically she’d told him that he’d be better off staying there for the night. He couldn’t stop thinking about his girlfriend – surely she was wondering what had happened to him. Sy kept reassuring him that Clarissa was just fine and tucked away safely in the cabin but she wouldn’t tell him how she knew that. She just knew.
After an hour of staring at the fabric walls of the tent, Alex threw off the sleeping bag with a sigh and crawled to the flap. In the corner he saw a small bag of clothes and the investigative reporter in him drew him to the bag. He carefully poked around in it, not wanting to disturb the contents too much. He couldn’t even say why he was poking around anyway. He knew right off that it was Sy’s bag – of course he’d already gotten the impression that he was sleeping in her tent, in her sleeping bag. But if he was here – where was she?
In response to his unspoken question, he heard a twig snap just outside the tent and then a shadow fell across the flap. He scrambled back into the sleeping bag, unwilling to be caught with his hand in her bag. Truth was it probably wouldn’t matter – she’d know he’d been there the same as she knew about Clarissa. Still, when he heard the zipper on the tent flap, he closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
Sy stuck her head in the tent and surveyed their guest. She smiled at his attempt to feign sleep and grabbed an extra blanket before retreating back outside. “Sleep.” Sy said quietly. A fine mist surrounded the tent. As it dissipated, she nodded to herself and returned to her spot overlooking the city of Auchlin.
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Alex step outside the tent and shivered a bit in the chilly night air. Even the fire – which was magically still lit – did little to warm the campsite. He imagined, though, that none of these women were uncomfortable. He wondered what the insides of the other tents looked like. Were they really multiple bedroom houses under those bland, deceptive covers? Did they have all the comforts of a four star hotel? His imagination ran wild with the possibilities. He was about to peak his head into the neighboring tent when he saw someone standing on the cliff a short ways off.
He started for her without really thinking but then stopped dead in his tracks. Hadn’t Sy said something about a circle, some sort of protective barrier? He walked around slowly, staying close to the line of tents as he searched for some sort of physical indication of this circle.
Sy chuckled in the distance, drawing his attention back to the cliff where she was standing. “It’s perfectly safe,” she spoke quietly, barely above a whisper, but her voice traveled along the wind to Alex. For a moment, it felt like her voice was swirling all around him, pulling him into a warm embrace.
Alex felt drawn to her and took several awkward, halting steps before he seemed to regain control of his body. “What are you doing out here?” he asked. Unlike Sy, his voice was loud and seemed to disturb the very air around him.
“Watching.” Sy said simply. To her, it was all the information he needed but Alex’s mind instantly formulated a dozen possible questions.
“Watching what exactly?” Alex asked. He took a chance and moved until he was standing next to her though she hadn’t asked him to join her.
Sy smiled at him. In the pale moon light he could see her eyes were twinkling; he felt like behind those eyes were the answers to so many mysteries and questions. “Everything.” she replied. Alex didn’t doubt that she had the capabilities to see everything. Alex was silent for a while. Sy didn’t seem bothered by his presence and he was loathed to return to the tent and the hard ground that awaited him. “Your wolf has left the area.” Sy said after they’d been watching quietly for some time. The rim of Gladio, the larger of the two suns, was just beginning to peak over the horizon behind them painting the sky like a brilliant canvas.
“What? How do you know that?” Alex asked even though he knew she wouldn’t tell him. As expected she simply smiled at him.
“Look, sunrise. Guess you can get back to that girlfriend of yours.” Sy said, in a fluid movement she turned, like water going around a bend. She paused to look at him, “Good luck Alex.”
And then she was gone. He could barely have blinked in the time it took her to disappear completely from his sight. “What IS she?” he asked aloud. He turned back to look down on the city in the distance and shook his head. It would take years to answer that seemingly simple question.
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Try as he might, Alex couldn’t get that night in the woods out of his mind. The wolf invaded his dreams at night, growing larger and more menacing each time. And then there were the witches, mostly Sy. Though he’d gotten the impression that one of the others led the coven, Sy had exuded the real power in the group.
“Alex!” Clarissa’s shrill voice finally snapped him out of his thoughts. “Where have you been lately?” she asked, looking both concerned and annoyed with him.
“Sorry Rissa..” Alex said. “I’m just thinking about this article I’m working on,” he tacked on. It was a bald face lie but Clarissa would never be mad at him for focusing on work – his work kept her from having to work particularly hard. He stood up and put on his work face, “in fact, I think I’ll go to the office and get some work done.”
“Alright hon.” Rissa said with a grin. He could practically hear her ringing up the shoes, clothes and purses. He kissed her quickly on the cheek and left the loft in a hurry – more eager to be away from her than he probably should be.
Alex wasn’t the only one working late at the newspaper that night but the crowd was light. He waved to a few people as he passed them until he reached his small work station. He dropped his bag on the floor and sat in front of his computer. Even here, where focus was never an issue for him, Alex’s mind wandered while he waited for his computer load. The shrill sound of his desk phone shook him out of his thoughts. Alex looked at the phone in confusion - why would anyone be calling here now? He picked up the receiver, "Alex Garza, Auchlin Times" he answered. He was sure he could hear faint noise over the phone but no one spoke. "Hello?" he tried again. He rolled his eyes, probably a crank caller. "Anyone there? Guess not..." He replaced the receiver just as his computer connected to the network.
His email alert chimed moments after he hung up the phone. After sorting through the various spam, he had only one email left. "Radtke endorsed candidate Pike with a large donation." That was all it said but it had said enough to get his attention. Alex tried to verify the contents of the email but if it was true it hadn't hit the waves yet. Still, if he could find enough to run with it, he could get a scoop so he started trying to determine the source of the email.
Unfortunately, the sender had jumped through a lot of hoops to keep himself hidden. Alex even went down to the IT department where there was always at least one guy on duty and asked them to track the email. The IT guy had his feet up in his chair and was playing what looked a lot like Grand Theft Auto on one of the screens. "Um...hello?" Alex said trying to get the guy's attention.
He didn't even turn, "Bathroom is down the hall dude."
"Yes, I know that. I came down here to talk to you - assuming you're IT." Alex said.
"Oh. Cool. Gimme a sec." he said. Alex watched, somewhat impressed, as the guy finished the race. He spun around to face Alex then and smiled. "What can I do for ya dude?"
"I got an email from someone - he covered his tracks well - and I was wondering if you might be able to track him." Alex said.
"I'll give it a shot. May take some time though." Alex gave him all the information he needed and left it in the hands of a computer whiz who liked to use the word "dude". He tried not to let that fact disturb him too much. He glanced back into the tiny, darkened office one more time and shook his head. "Call me on my cell if you find anything..." The kid didn't say anything and just waved in acknowledgement.
It was too late to call anyone about this potential information but Alex couldn't just go home and sleep either. He knew Radtke's club was open most nights until four in the morning so he grabbed the suit jacket he kept at his desk just in case. After changing, he crossed the few city blocks that separated the business district from the clubs that populated Auchlin.
Elysium was set in the heart of all the clubs and was one of the more exclusive spots in town. Not being a real club goer, Alex was a little surprised to see there was still a crowd of people near the door and reconsidered his plan - such that it was. He was standing toward the back of the ill formed line and about to leave when he heard his name being shouted. "Alex! Come on!" He recognized her from work but couldn't place her department right off but he jogged toward her anyway. "You wanna go in right?"
He nodded. "Of course...you going in?"
"For a piece, I know it's not the investigative reporting you do but it gets me in the door" Liz said with a chuckle. Alex was amazed as she gave her name to the bouncer and they were waved inside without a second glance. "So, well...have a good time Alex." she said, smiling a little shyly. It was a stark contrast to her normally boisterous attitude at the office that Alex was caught off guard.
"Hey thanks Liz....how about I buy you a drink for saving me from a long, possibly fruitless, wait out in the cold?" Alex suggested. His suggestion went over well and soon they were sharing a drink and a laugh at the bar. Finally he was forced to excuse himself but Liz nodded casually and turned her attention to the dance floor.
Alex considered just asking the bartender outright if Radtke was here but they were busy serving people so he turned his attention to the crowd. "If I owned this club where would I sit?" he mused to himself. There were slightly more secluded tables in the corners of the room where local celebrities seemed to congregate. At first glance he could pick out at least a dozen faces he'd seen in the news but he didn't see Radtke among any of them.
When he stopped one of the bartenders to get another drink he made his initial inquiry. "Is Mr. Radtke at the club tonight?"
"Mmhmm." he replied with a slight nod but he gave no more information and turned away from him to make his drink.
He frowned and tried to get his attention again to ask more questions but as soon as he placed the drink in front of him, he turned away to serve someone else and the other bartender seemed to be keeping his distance as well. Maybe it would have been better to wait until the morning after all - this wasn't club business he wanted to talk about anyway. He finished his second drink and decided he'd make one lap of the floor - if he didn't have any luck he'd just have to come back first thing in the morning.
Without warning or introduction, she fell into step next to him. "Mr. Radtke is busy."
Alex turned in surprise, expecting to see the bartender or maybe Liz. She was pale as a ghost but her dark hair was full of life. And her eyes. Her eyes were like pools of blood. He'd never seen anyone with such an eye color before! He felt like he was being sucked in; drowning in her gaze. "And who are you?" he asked - his voice sounded weak and far away even to him.
"My name is Mirelle." she said. "I'm one of Mr. Redtke's..." she tapped her long, perfectly painted nail against the edge of her mouth in thought, "Associates." she said after a short pause. "If you tell me what business you need to see him about, I might be able to pass along a message."
Alex was startled by the exchange, he didn't know this woman and as far as he could tell, the bartender had never even left her post. Something was off, but his desire to get the scoop won out. "I heard that he'd endorsed a certain political candidate - contrary to his normal inclinations - and wanted to talk to him about it."
"Mm. Curious, I wasn't aware that that news had been made public." Mirelle said.
"It hasn't as far as I know, I received a tip..." Alex said and then wanted to kick himself. Why was he being so open with this woman. For all he knew she was actually a reporter for another paper or, well who knows who she was. But he couldn't seem to help himself.
"Well, Alex Garza, I'll pass on your name and inquiry..." she said with a slight nod. It wasn't until after she'd disappeared that he realized he'd never even given her his name. Damn! She probably was a reporter and had recognized him and was trying to get her own scoop!
End Chapter
Generation 7, Chapter 3
I stood by the fire, hopelessly trying to get warm and considering how to get home. I knew Aunt Amelia and Uncle Isaac must be worried about me - I was worried about me!
I had just about gotten the tips of my fingers warm when I heard soft footfalls behind me. I gulped once and then slowly turned around for the first time since waking up. I saw the brightly colored caravan first. How had I not noticed that? Then she emerged from the thick brush and smiled at me. I think it was meant to comfort me but all it did was make me more anxious.
"Lost my dear?" the gypsy asked, her voice raspy in the still darkness.
"Um..." I wanted to just say no and run into the brush again. I may yet find my way before I froze but someone had to have lit that fire as I lay on the ground. "A little bit..."
"Well come along then." she reached out for me and I pulled back, stumbling over a rock and almost falling to the ground. She didn't seem to acknowledge my actions and kept walking toward her home. "Come along dear."
She had a cup of tea waiting for me when I finally followed her inside and I drank it gratefully. "Rest now deary, we'll get you home in the morning." In the warmth of the building, her voice sounded soft and gentle. I must have drifted off to sleep because when I opened my eyes again, I could see the rich hues of sunrise peeking over the horizon.
She was standing by the window, staring outside in some sort of a daze. "Um...thank you..." I ventured, taking a seat at the table. She turned in the direction of my voice but didn't respond.
"You live on the coast..." her voice sounded far away as she spoke. It was as if she wasn't speaking in this time and place.
"Um...not really..." I said thinking about the little cottage. The coast was a small ways away - in fact I think the Castle was the only house near the coast in the village. "The Delafords live inland..."
She didn't acknowledge my words, or even my presence. "The coast...and there is some sort of animal...a giraffe." Her brow furrowed as she focused on something only she could see. "Only it is not...hmm"
"Well I know we don't have any of those sorts of animals!" I protested. I wished I could see what she was seeing, assuming she we seeing anything at all and wasn't just making it all up. Maybe it would give me some sort of memory of my former life.
She grunted in response and started pacing around the small space. Following her movements wasn't difficult given how small the little caravan was but her circling was making me dizzy. Finally she stopped and put a hand on my arm, making me jump a little. "No, no that is all I can see just now..."
I stared at her hand for what felt like several minutes. It was speckled with spots of age and time in the sun. It looked like her skin clung directly on the bone. Beyond her I could see that creepy skull with the hollow eye sockets looking at me. It was all too much!
I pushed away from the table and she stumbled back as I ran from the caravan. I shouted my thanks again, just to be polite but they were lost in the wind. It was now full daylight out and I was sure I could find my way home without the help of the gypsy.
When I finally found my way back to the cottage, I collapsed into the waiting arms of Amelia. She held me and stroked my hair softly as Isaac got a bowl of stew for me. I remember apologizing dozens of times for running off the way I had. They didn't scold or reprimand me that night - I think they felt I'd scared myself enough so they didn't say much about it at all.
But it did come up eventually, weeks after the original event. "You know we love you right Su?" Amelia said, she sound unsure and anxious. "As if you were our own..."
"Of course!" I said.
"Good. When you ran off that evening...we were very worried for you and..." she hesitated.
"I am sorry about that. I wasn't thinking..." I couldn't really give a fair excuse for my actions.
"We just want you to know you're loved here." she said, she sounded a little sad as she said it and I wondered if she was thinking about her own daughter again. She smiled sadly and stroked my hair.
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Despite Amelia's anxiety regarding George, I still waited anxiously to see him whenever he came around. I did try to be more aware of our activity and stayed closer to home. Instead of disappearing for hours across rambling fields, we would stay on the farm - albeit toward the back and mostly out of sight.
Although that first kiss was wonderful and tender, it soon led to George wanting more than a light kiss. He would hold me tightly and press his lips to mine roughly. I pushed him away from me and he would always look heartbroken. "Su...I thought..."
"Oh George, I just do not think we ought to do such things yet..." I said. Soon it seemed like every encounter ended like that and George and I started seeing each other less and less.
When Aunt Amelia came down sick, I very nearly forgot about George as I stayed by her side constantly. He stopped by once or twice with a basket from home for us but seemed anxious to leave almost as soon as he'd stepped into the cottage.
"Thank you." I said softly, taking the basket from him at the door this time. I wouldn't force him to come inside and feel obligated to talk to Uncle Isaac. It was just painfully awkward to watch the two of them.
The illness lingered on and I could tell Uncle Isaac was losing hope that she'd make a recovery at this but she did! Just when it seemed unlikely that she would break the fever, she woke up one morning feeling much better and smiling. "Oh dear - have you been nursing me all this time." she said grasping my hand.
"Of course I have Aunt." I said, sitting by her bedside.
"You're a good girl." she was still weak but she reached up and patted my cheek. "Good girl."
"Why don't you go get some fresh air Su." Isaac suggested. "You've been cooped up in this cottage for weeks and I think you could use it." Amelia seemed to agree so I nodded, giving her a light kiss on the forehead.
I wandered into the village and gave the good news about her recovery to a few people and looked in the various shops. I felt happy and relieved as I made my way back to the cottage.
When I stepped inside, nearly all the candles were out -either blown out or allowed to burn down to stumps. Uncle Isaac was sitting, unmoving, in one of the chairs and there was an eerie silence hanging in the air. "Uncle..." I whispered, afraid to speak too loudly as if everything would crumbled if the silence was shattered too abruptly.
He answered me with a racked sob and I knew. I knew that when I looked into their small room, into their bed; I knew that she'd be gone. Even knowing what I knew, when I saw her lifeless form in the bed I felt caught unawares. I sputtered and shook as I looked at her peaceful face.
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After Aunt Amelia passed away, it wasn't uncommon to come into the cottage and find Uncle Isaac passed out on the floor. He would work until he very nearly passed out from exhaustion and would barely make it inside, let alone into bed.
This left all the household work and the farm to me. We didn't have a large farm by any means but it was a lot for just one person to manage. I had to cut back on some of the plants just to make inside in time to make dinner for Uncle and I.
I found comfort in George though. He'd come around after he'd heard about Amelia's passing and it was like old times. Although I couldn't steal away with him for hours at a time like before, I could count on him to be there just when I needed a comforting shoulder to lean on. He tried to help me on the farm as well when he wasn't busy with other jobs around the village.
"You are always here just when I need you." I said, leaning onto his shoulder. We were curled up together on the stack of hay we had behind the barn and it had been a particularly long morning since Uncle Isaac had been out cold when I woke up this morning. George had helped me get him into his bed and stayed for a bit of breakfast.
"Happy to be of service." George said smiling at me. He hand a strand of my hair wrapped around his finger and was playing with it as we spoke.
He leaned forward and his happy, innocent grin had transformed to that hungry smile I knew all too well. He was eager to kiss me...and to push for more. He hadn't really changed in the intervening time - in fact he'd become pushier lately. Part of me thought his help around the farm came at a price but I tried to keep that sad thought from my mind.
"George.." I said, pushing weakly against him.
"Su...you know I love you..." George said, pushing his lips against mine. "Why do you fight me so much?"
"I'm just...I do not think we should...it's not proper..." I protested, still trying to push him off me.
"You sound an awful lot like your Aunt." George said as he angrily got up and brushed hay off of him. He was already walking away when I'd blinked away the tears that had cropped up.
"George!" I called out meekly. I don't think I really wanted him to turn around but I wanted to try.
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Months had passed since then and while George still insisted he loved me, I couldn't seem to say it back to him, which was odd since I'd felt like I'd loved him almost as soon as I'd seen him that first time years ago. He came around often but usually didn't stay too long anymore. That didn't bother me as much as it should. It freed me up for other activities. With the farm culled back a little bit, I was able to get away now and then for a walk through the country.
"Oh what beautiful apples!" I exclaimed as I came on a grove of various trees - including some apple trees. As if on cue, my stomach yearned for a bit of food as I looked upon the shiny red apples. I reached up and plucked a couple from the branches - Uncle Isaac loved apples and I hoped this would bring a smile to his usually sullen face.
"I do not think you're supposed to be picking those..." a deep male voice said. He sounded amused as opposed to angry as he said it so I didn't turn around right away. I was still trying to reach this one, particularly yummy looking apple.
Grabbing the apple firmly in my hands, I tugged and then turned toward the voice addressing me and found not one but two young men watching me. One looked bemused by me and the other looked annoyed.
I looked them both over twice and then saw the guards and entourage standing not too far off. Suddenly everything clicked in my mind and I dropped to the ground. "Oh your highnesses! My apologies!" I sputtered into the ground. I'm not sure they could even hear or understand me.
"Let's turn her over to the guards and let them deal with her. She's a thief after all..." the annoyed one said. He had a higher pitched voice than his brother.
"Now John, they're only apples and it isn't as if she took a whole bushel of them." the other said. I was still looking at the dirt, afraid to look up and unsure of what exactly was protocol in this situation.
John scoffed at the idea of letting me go without some sort of punishment but ultimately seemed to defer to his older brother. "As you say brother." he muttered. I heard him walking away and felt a hand on my shoulder.
"You can rise you know." the amused one said softly. I did stand up straight but couldn't meet his eyes. "These are royal lands - I do not mind who takes the apples but there are others who are not so forgiving miss."
My eyes were glued to his feet but I nodded. "Thank you your Highness." I was trying to recall everything Aunt Amelia had told me about the family and finally grasped on the name Adam...this was Prince Adam and the other, younger one, was Prince John.
"Can you find your way home now or do you need an escort?" he asked. I looked around nervously. I was sure I could find my way home but I was too flustered to figure out which way to go first. He chuckled softly again. "Well, where do you live?"
"Delaford farm." I answered automatically. "With my Uncle."
"Ah well then you'll want to go along that path." he pointed through the grove of trees. "Good day Miss."
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I practically ran back down the path he'd indicated but didn't go to the cottage, I detoured to the village in search of George. The further I got from the Princes, the more excited I got about the chance encounter and I wanted to share it with someone. Uncle Isaac didn't show excitement for much of anything anymore so George was my next choice and I knew he'd be at the Inn helping the keeper tonight.
I threw open the door to the inn and stopped dead in my tracks.
I forgot about the Princes as I watched George flirt with the maid. I could have even managed to forgive that much if he hadn't kissed her as well!
End Chapter
Outtakes
She seems to like hanging around in her under clothes lol
Hey. you aren't supposed to be here Eowyn! lol
